Willem Dafoe on Why It Took So Long to Host ‘SNL’ and How He Kept ‘Spider-Man’ a Secret
28.01.2022 - 00:45
/ variety.com
Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeThough he’s been an acclaimed actor for five decades, earned four Oscar nominations and starred in several blockbusters, Willem Dafoe will take on a new challenge this weekend when he hosts “Saturday Night Live” for the first time Jan. 29.The announcement was met with massive enthusiasm online, with many people expressing disbelief Dafoe had never hosted before.
It’s not his first “SNL” experience, however, as he did star in the 2000 short film “The Procedure,” written and directed by Adam McKay, about a man who has his favorite song implanted in his brain. The surreal short was actually pulled from airing in the live show and later appeared as a replacement sketch in re-runs; it’s difficult to find online, which has only increased its legendary status.
Dafoe also made a cameo during host Will Forte’s monologue last Saturday, and judging by the ecstatic audience response, it’s an episode many people are looking forward to – including Dafoe. Variety’s Awards Circuit podcast spoke to Dafoe a week before the show; listen below:Asked why he’s never hosted before, Dafoe says that perhaps the timing was never right.
“I think there was never the right combination of things,” he says. “Because it’s nice to pair it to a movie or something.
And yes, I’ve had some successful movies in my career but they aren’t always the ones that you can hang a ‘Saturday Night Live’ appearance on.” (For example, he jokes, can you imagine an “Antichrist” sketch?)But given Dafoe’s output in the last year alone, the timing could not be better. He appeared in five films, including re-teams with directors Paul Schrader for “The Card Counter” and Wes Anderson for “The French Dispatch,” as well as supporting
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